sat there all night? The last thing that she recalled from the previous evening was allowing him to lie down beside her because she had been too tired to care where he slept.
She also recalled him leaving her side just as quickly, to sit away from her. As she had drifted to sleep, she had felt his eyes on her.
Just as they were now.
Alicia smiled awkwardly at him, then swept her eyes over him. She realized now that he had not watched her the long night, after all. He had changed his clothes. Today he wore beaded leggings, a red undershirt with a deerskin cover shirt, and a headband of red cotton.
It was less unnerving for her to see him more fully clothed. Wearing only the breechclout, with his muscled body so blatantly revealed to her, it had been hard not to remember how he had looked with nothing at all on.
When Cloud Eagle did not return the smile, Alicia felt seized with apprehension and fear all over again. He seemed lost in thought. Was he trying to decide what he was going to do with her now that he had brought her to his village? Had his wives complained to him about the presence of a white woman in their lodge?
She glanced around the tepee. His wives were not there. Had he sent them away? Or had they left on their own? Would they return soon and cause her more awkwardness?
The worries came to her, tumbling around in her brain like sagebrush blowing absently along in the sand.
She was glad when Gray came to her and snuggled next to her as she awaited Cloud Eagle's next moves. This was a new day. Oh, Lord, she despaired. What was it going to bring?
She eased her hand to her sore leg and felt around the festered area of the wound. She flinched. It still pained her.
Yet she was aware that it was much better. If she felt a worse threat than she already faced, she might even be able to get to her horse and escape.
She glanced toward the closed flaps at the entranceway, wondering where her horse was.
And her pistol? Where was it? She stroked Gray's fur and frowned at Cloud Eagle, confused by his continued silence. Never, since she had met him, had he been this distant, this aloof. She feared the cause.
Cloud Eagle was aware of confusing Alicia by his silence. But he was not ready to speak to her just yet this morning. His troubled thoughts had kept him from sleeping all night. Today he had to make decisions and be on about his usual business.
Yet his thoughts were not clear and manageable as they were before he had met the white woman. He was nettled with many complications nowtwo wives, and yet no children, and a white woman he desired to have as a wife.
These were seeds for deeper pondering, for where man's cunning ended, woman's cunning began. A man who wished to master a woman must first master himself!
He was in no mood at this time for clear thinking and making logical decisions. There was no solid ground for his thoughts to stand upon. The only thing that mattered now was that the white woman was in his dwelling where the scent of dried grass blended with the smell of her.
He smiled to himself, thinking that, yes, she was there, and she would not soon be going anywhere.
Neither her wound nor he would allow it.
Cloud Eagle went to the fire and shoved more wood into the flames.
Alicia silently watched him, then tried her luck at breaking the silence between them.
''Your wives," she said, moving into a sitting position. "Where are they?"
She savored the warmth of the fire, which was chasing the moist chill from the air this early morning.
Cloud Eagle turned his eyes to her. "Do not concern yourself about my wives," he said in an indifferent tone. "They are useless, troublesome women."
Cloud Eagle found it easy to condemn his wives for his lodge being without the laughter of children, when deep inside his heart there was the nagging fear that he was the cause.
Two wives? Both barren? No. That did not seem logical.
But until proven otherwise, he would cast the
She also recalled him leaving her side just as quickly, to sit away from her. As she had drifted to sleep, she had felt his eyes on her.
Just as they were now.
Alicia smiled awkwardly at him, then swept her eyes over him. She realized now that he had not watched her the long night, after all. He had changed his clothes. Today he wore beaded leggings, a red undershirt with a deerskin cover shirt, and a headband of red cotton.
It was less unnerving for her to see him more fully clothed. Wearing only the breechclout, with his muscled body so blatantly revealed to her, it had been hard not to remember how he had looked with nothing at all on.
When Cloud Eagle did not return the smile, Alicia felt seized with apprehension and fear all over again. He seemed lost in thought. Was he trying to decide what he was going to do with her now that he had brought her to his village? Had his wives complained to him about the presence of a white woman in their lodge?
She glanced around the tepee. His wives were not there. Had he sent them away? Or had they left on their own? Would they return soon and cause her more awkwardness?
The worries came to her, tumbling around in her brain like sagebrush blowing absently along in the sand.
She was glad when Gray came to her and snuggled next to her as she awaited Cloud Eagle's next moves. This was a new day. Oh, Lord, she despaired. What was it going to bring?
She eased her hand to her sore leg and felt around the festered area of the wound. She flinched. It still pained her.
Yet she was aware that it was much better. If she felt a worse threat than she already faced, she might even be able to get to her horse and escape.
She glanced toward the closed flaps at the entranceway, wondering where her horse was.
And her pistol? Where was it? She stroked Gray's fur and frowned at Cloud Eagle, confused by his continued silence. Never, since she had met him, had he been this distant, this aloof. She feared the cause.
Cloud Eagle was aware of confusing Alicia by his silence. But he was not ready to speak to her just yet this morning. His troubled thoughts had kept him from sleeping all night. Today he had to make decisions and be on about his usual business.
Yet his thoughts were not clear and manageable as they were before he had met the white woman. He was nettled with many complications nowtwo wives, and yet no children, and a white woman he desired to have as a wife.
These were seeds for deeper pondering, for where man's cunning ended, woman's cunning began. A man who wished to master a woman must first master himself!
He was in no mood at this time for clear thinking and making logical decisions. There was no solid ground for his thoughts to stand upon. The only thing that mattered now was that the white woman was in his dwelling where the scent of dried grass blended with the smell of her.
He smiled to himself, thinking that, yes, she was there, and she would not soon be going anywhere.
Neither her wound nor he would allow it.
Cloud Eagle went to the fire and shoved more wood into the flames.
Alicia silently watched him, then tried her luck at breaking the silence between them.
''Your wives," she said, moving into a sitting position. "Where are they?"
She savored the warmth of the fire, which was chasing the moist chill from the air this early morning.
Cloud Eagle turned his eyes to her. "Do not concern yourself about my wives," he said in an indifferent tone. "They are useless, troublesome women."
Cloud Eagle found it easy to condemn his wives for his lodge being without the laughter of children, when deep inside his heart there was the nagging fear that he was the cause.
Two wives? Both barren? No. That did not seem logical.
But until proven otherwise, he would cast the
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